Tryst with favourite dishes without onions

Whether it is Chaddha household's butter chicken or Mrs Reddy's rasam, Sonam Tsering's meat momos or Sinha household's litti chokha, every single dish is threatened across the city that signifies a cultural cauldron.

The retail price for onion, common to all these dishes, has become a tearjerker in real sense. The sudden spurt in onion prices has left everyone worried as onions continued to be sold at R70 to R80 per kg across localities in Delhi on Tuesday.

Assamese Rani Rehman, a housewife from Mahipalpur, said, "I bought onions for R80 a kg from Vasant Kunj. Non-veg dishes are impossible to cook without onions. So instead of regular four kgs purchase, I bought only two kgs."

With reports about increased supply at the wholesale market, it was expected prices would come down in a day or two.

This has also impacted retail sales. Echoed Sarojini Nagar shopkeeper Munna, "As against average sale of 30-35 kgs per day, yesterday and today I sold only around 10-15 kg onions."

Around December every year, with winter season in full force, fruits and vegetables become cheaper. But not this year.

"Fruits are cheaper than onions this time … what to do?" asked Saroj Kumar, a housewife from Delhi University's South Campus.

But there are a few left untouched by the hike. Naveen Jain from Green Park said, "I bought only ½ kg onion at R70 per kg. But this is because I am a 'Jain' and otherwise also consume very less onion."